Unguarded Moments
by Jennifer Collins
Summary: Carol is back in Alexandria, and she tries to settle in with the people in her life.
1. Chapter 1

Carol sat wrapped up in a blanket on the familiar swing, letting one leg push as she huddled with her back to the arm. She looked up when she heard his tall frame approach, footsteps echoing on the silent porch.

"Carol," he breathed in disbelief before visibly gaining his composure.

"Tobin," she said meekly. "Hi."

"You're back," He returned with a guarded, but not unkind air.

She nodded. "Yeah." She paused for a moment. "The tower's coming along nicely," she commented.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But you didn't come here to talk about the tower."

"No." She stood, the swing creaking in protest in her wake. "Tobin, you have to know…. I never wanted to hurt you," she spoke quietly, reaching for his hand.

He accepted the gesture, resisting the urge to pull her in. "I guess I just didn't understand that you were going through more than I could see," he said in a low voice. "We don't know each other well enough for that yet."

"But I'd like to," she interjected, looking up at him with wide eyes searching his features. "I want us to get to know each other, for real this time. And I hope….. I hope we can still be friends," she pleaded.

He smiled a half smile, his large knuckles running across the back of her hand. "Friends," murmured. "Yeah, that's what every guy wants to hear."

"Tobin," she whispered.

"Come on in," he said, giving her hand a gentle tug. "I'll make you dinner, and we can talk."

She grinned, grateful to this gentle man for making this easy on her, and she followed him eagerly inside.

She folded her blanket neatly on the back of a chair as she joined him at the counter, peering at the ingredients he was unloading from the cupboard. "You know, you could really make that go a long way," she said.

His eyes narrowed playfully. "Who's doing the cooking here, me or you?"

"What? I could help. Have I ever told you that I work wonders with water chestnuts?"

He chuckled softly. "No, I don't recall you ever mentioning." His smile faded as he watched her work. "Hey, Carol," he said after awhile.

"Hmmm?" She looked up at him innocently after awhile.

"This whole friends thing… that include us being honest with each other?"

"Of course," she said, handing him a can opener and reaching for a cutting board.

"So… you just needed to get away for awhile. Did it help?"

She stopped moving, her lips pressed together. "I don't know," she admitted. For a moment, a faraway look overtook her eyes, one that he thought he'd seen before, and he had to clear his throat to get her attention back.

He studied her carefully. "Should I get Daryl?"

"What? Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just figured maybe you'd want to talk to him. It'd be easier for you."

She shook her head. "No. No, I don't want to talk to Daryl. I actually don't want to talk to anyone."

"Huh, that's a strange thing to say," Tobin said, cocking his head to the side as he looked at her.

"Why's that?"

"Because you've been talking to me this whole time."

"I guess I have," she said, picking up the knife and cutting board again. They chopped for a few minutes, until Carol broke the peaceful cadence. "How many have you killed?" She asked quietly.

He frowned, turning back to look at her. "I don't know," he answered. "A lot. Not nearly as many as you."

She shook her head fiercely. "No, I'm not talking about the dead ones. I'm talking about the living," she whispered.

"I…. none. Why," he asked hesitantly, his hazel eyes trained on her troubled blue ones. "How many have you killed?"

"Twenty-six," she whispered, tears stinging at the backs of her eyes. "The first one, a man, back at the prison. He… " her lower lip trembled slightly. "He was already bit, but he was still alive when I…."

He gently pried the cutting knife from her hands, setting everything carefully on the counter and closing his big hands around her tiny wrists to steady her.

"No!" she said, jerking away instantly. "No, don't touch me!"

"Ok," he whispered, raising his hands in surrender and backing away a step to give her space. "Okay."

He nodded slowly. "We had a couple of those here, in the beginning. My wife, actually. Pete did it. But twenty-six?"

She shook her head. "No, no they all weren't like that. Rick and Daryl usually took it upon themselves to do those ones when they could."

"Okay," he said again, waiting to see if she would continue.

"Two of them I just lit on fire, back at the savior hideout. One of them I shot, right in the head."

He shuffled closer to her, careful of her reaction but she didn't seem to notice. "And those people, they were going to hurt you, hurt Maggie, maybe worse…"

"And that makes it okay?" she spat, jerking her head back to look at him.

"I don't know if it does," he said honestly. "But I'm sure as hell glad it was them and not you, or Maggie, or the baby," he whispered.

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall.

He kept shuffling forward until she was within arm's reach, slowly wrapping her into a hug.

She pushed her elbows into him as she tried to jerk her body away, but he held tightly to her. "Think I'm gonna just stand here and let you cry? Hmmm?"

"I just told you I killed t-twenty-six p-people," she stammered. "I killed twenty-six people," she repeated. "And one of them… was a child."

He pressed his face into the top of her head to muffle his surprised gasp in her hair as he pulled her closer into his body, his hands coming up to steady her heaving shoulders.

"Now, do you still like me?" she choked.

"Seems to me that my opinion doesn't matter," he said. "I think what matters is you finding a way to still like yourself."

She clutched at him as she sobbed violently, her tears soaking his shirt.

"Okay," he murmured, holding her close as he rubbed her back in what he hoped were soothing circles. "Just let it all out."

He held onto her for awhile, keeping silent as he let her cry. Once her shoulders stopped shaking, he reached a hand out to tilt her chin up to look at him. "And yes, I still like you," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol bounded down the stairs, a prepared smile already on her face as she threw open the door. "Tobin!" she said, her smile changing to a sweet one.

"Hey, Carol," he said with his usual happy grin.

"What a nice surprise," she said, motioning him inside. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "I'm on break. Wanted to bring you lunch, see how you're doing."

"How sweet," she said sincerely, embracing him in a quick hug. "I'm happy to see you. How are you?"

"Happy to see you too," he said with a hint of his old smitten look.

She blushed, gesturing towards the counter. "What'd ya bring?"

"Not much. Just chick peas and beets."

She laughed. "Well, then I guess we're making a chick pea and beet casserole." She opened her cabinets, searching for something to add. "We can stretch this out, distribute some later when you get home from work. If you feel like it."

"Uh, yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He came up beside her to watch what she was putting in. "You're not casually telling me I'm a terrible cook, are you?"

"No," she swatted his shoulder playfully. "You're not…. terrible. There's just more you can do with the rations. Here, I'll show you."

She paused with a spoon in mid-air as she heard a low rumbling engine in the distance.

"Sounds like Daryl's back," Tobin said, following her gaze out the window. "You should go to him."

She shook her head idly, turning back to their work.

"He'll want to see you," he pressed. He placed a hand over hers to stop her. "Come on, it's okay. Go to him."

She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment before snapping the lids back on the containers and shoving them in her bag. "We'll continue this later," she said sternly, pointing two fingers at him.

"Yes, ma'am," he conceded, watching her go.

She jogged swiftly to the gate, just in time to see Abraham and Spencer opening it for the lone rider.

She could tell even from a distance that he was bruised up, even if she hadn't heard the slight puttering in the engine as man and bike practically crawled through.

"Hey," she called to him.

"Hay," he answered, his head snapping up to look at her with a slightly surprised expression on his face.

He grunted as he parked the bike between two cars, kicking the stand into place before hopping ungracefully off. "You're a welcome sight," he said carefully.

"You need cleaning up?"

He nodded.

"Come on, then," she said, tugging gently at his elbow.

He tossed polite gazes and waves in the direction of the others who had come to greet him before falling into step beside her.

"You're more banged up than I thought," she said, a hint of scolding in her voice as she led him to the infirmary.

He shrugged. "Ya should see the other guy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is the other guy a savior by any chance? I thought Rick said to lay low for a little bit until we get our bearings. You don't want to get yourself killed."

He looked sideways at her. "We doing this now?"

She ushered him through the door. Rosita looked up when she saw them enter, already scrambling to see what she needed, but Carol waved her away and she left them.

Daryl hopped up on the table, tugging his tattered shirt off as Carol prepared an alcohol solution and some bandages.

"It wasn't a savior," he said in a low voice. "And there were no fatalities."

She decided not the press the matter, mostly since this was the first time she'd seen him in nearly a month and she didn't want to argue. She gently went to work, cleaning the dried blood from his shoulders and blowing softly on his skin to soften the sting when she found the fresh blood. "Well, at least you don't need stitches this time," she said, taping a bandage in place.

His mouth twitched for a moment as he studied her, his smile frozen in place as he saw the food in her bag. "You runnin' again?"

"Hmmm?" Her brow furrowed as she followed his gaze. "No. No, I was just teaching Tobin how to stretch the rations. We'll hand these out to people later on."

He nodded in understanding, wondering if he should be satisfied with that answer. "Ya like him, huh?"

She smiled, reaching forward to place her hands on his shoulders. "Yeah, I do. He's a sweet guy."

His shoulders tensed as she dug her fingers into his muscles.

"Can't you ever just relax and let anything feel good?" she murmured.

He sighed, leaning his head back as she lowered her hands, the heels pressing into his back. "Who you askin, me or yourself?"

"You," she said as she continued her massage.

He closed his eyes as she worked. "Guess it'd be a lil easier if I had clothes on."

She snorted. "For who?"

He reached back to gently pat her hand. "So you stayin fer awhile then?"

She was quiet, her hands gently gliding over his back in a comfortable rhythm.

"I got it," he said, turning his head to look at her. "Let's you an' me go next time."

She grinned, nuzzling her face slightly against his as she leaned closer. "I believe I've asked you that a couple of times already," she murmured. "But you always say to stay with Rick."

His breath was heavy on her face as he slid his hand along her jaw to keep her in place.

"And then Rick left ya. And we never talked about that, you an' me."

She stiffened, eyes wide. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered.

"C'mere," he said, sliding back on the table and pulling her forward so she was practically in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, clutching her against his chest and breathing her in.

"I was never goin ta be ok wit it. Even if all that shit didn't happen. Ya know that, right?"

She nodded slightly, suddenly finding it hard to swallow as she gazed up at him.

"You an' me… we're family," he whispered, moving his fingers to stroke her hair.

"Yeah," she agreed once she'd found her voice.

"It's always been us, always gonna be us," he murmured. "Right?"

"Right," she repeated hoarsely.

"So you just stay awhile, lemme take care a' ya when ya need takin' care of. Alright?"

She nodded again, his face getting closer to hers every time she moved her head. "This…. would be a lot easier if you had clothes on," she croaked.


	3. Chapter 3

Tobin narrowed his eyes in the sunlight, gazing down at the ground in disbelief as Carol's smiling form eagerly waved up at him.

He waved back, holding up a finger to let her know he'd be down in a minute. He climbed down the back of the tower slowly, trying not to take the steps two at a time as he bounded over to her.

"What are you doing here? I figured you'd still be with Daryl. He make it back okay?"

She laughed off all the questions, holding out a tupperware to him. "He's fine. But we had plans, silly."

He took the small container from her, eyeing the slight crust hesitantly before breaking off a piece to taste. "It's good," he said, somewhat surprised.

"I don't know why you ever doubt me," she said with a pleased grin. "Do you think the neighbors will like it?"

"Only one way to find out," he said, offering her his arm.

She rolled her eyes, slipping her arm through his and letting him lead her down the street towards home. They made it back through the gates without circumstance and Carol actually skipped on ahead as they made their way through Alexandria.

"Carol! What a welcome surprise," Mrs. Millar said gratefully. Her children swarmed in on them, grabbing at the food while she shouted at them to be polite.

Carol laughed and Tobin shook his head. "We should see Francine next. I want her to have her pick since she was working late with you."

"I'm sure she'd really appreciate that," He said, lacing his fingers through hers.

She looked down at their conjoined hands, a slight smile tugging at her lips as they continued on.

Once all the food was distributed, she motioned him towards the fence. "It's not dark yet," she murmured. "We could forage some acorns, and I'll show you how to make my special flour."

"If that'll make you happy," he said, gazing thoughtfully at her. "Will it?"

She nodded. "I really liked getting back into the swing of things with the neighbors today," she said softly.

"Okay," he replied. "Let me just get my gun from Olivia."

She shook her head. "No guns. You can use my knife. Besides, I have mine just in case."

"Alright." He let her lead him back outside, swallowing nervously as they made their way into the woods.

"You just have to watch that they don't have worms or anything," she said, picking up a couple to compare for him.

He nodded, taking her cues and filling up his own jar, being careful to keep her in sight as they moved.

His heart pounded slightly when he heard a low gurgling.

"Behind that tree," she said quietly, gesturing with her knife. "There's two of them." She handed him her blade, reaching on her side to pull her gun from its holster.

"I'll get the one on the left," he assured her.

She didn't hesitate, turning her gun around and bludgeoning the handle violently into the skull of the smaller one, the damned thing sinking to the ground with a sickening squish.

He advanced on the other one as it growled and clawed at him, slashing at it with the knife. He missed and the thing grabbed at his wrist, a little too close for comfort and he lost his footing.

"Tobin!" she shouted. She was at his side in an instant, crouching down to pry her knife from his white knuckled grasp and plunge it into the monster's head, cringing as it's blood sprayed her face.

Once she was sure it was down for the count, she leaned down, wiping its guts from the front of his shirt nonchalantly with her sleeve.

"Sorry," he muttered once he caught his breath.

"Don't be sorry," she said with a slight click of her tongue. She held out a hand to help him up, but he refused, standing on his own.

"I'm weak," he said, a slight bitterness to his tone.

She shook her head, squeezing his elbow. "You're not weak, you're inexperienced. Trust me, I know the difference. I've been both."

He gazed down at her gratefully.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go back to my place and get cleaned up."

They hurried home before it got too dark, sneaking in the back way to not call too much attention to their bloodied attire.

"Let me just wash my face real quick," she said, slightly out of breath as she opened the side door. "You can shower first. You're more messed up than I am."

He nodded his appreciation, already shedding bloody layers as she scrubbed at her face and neck.

"I-I think you still have some clothes up in my room," she said, a little shyly as she gathered up the soiled clothes and towels and left him to shower.

She jogged up the stairs to check, and he was finished by the time she was ready to hand him the bundle through the door.

"Your turn," he said, patting his hair dry with a clean towel.

She smiled slightly at his freshly cleaned form. "Make yourself comfortable," she called after him as he headed for the living room. "And try not to wreck anything!" She pulled the door closed before he could retaliate, stepping into the steaming spray.

She hoped she wasn't taking too long, but the warm water felt so good on her aching muscles that she couldn't resist lingering a couple of minutes after she'd scrubbed herself clean.

She wrapped herself up in her favorite oversized towel while she picked a light blouse and pants to change into.

When she was finished, she made her way down the hall and into the living area to find him lounging lazily on the couch with her blanket, eyes trained on the television.

"Amazing," he said. "You guys have the only working dvd player on the block and you never watch it."

She smiled dryly, sinking down next to him. "We're not really the couch potato type," she retorted.

"Well, you should be," he said, gesturing to the set. "I don't even know what this is, but it's already more entertaining than anything going on out there, that's for sure."

He moved to wrap her up in the blanket and she studied him, her smile slowly spreading into a genuine one as she leaned her head down on his shoulder and settled back to watch tv with him.

She wasn't sure exactly when her eyelids started to feel heavy until he gently nudged her.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's getting late. I'd better be getting home."

"Oh, okay," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Thank you for today," he said with a wide grin.

"It was really nice, wasn't it?" She mumbled lazily.

"Yeah," he said with a light laugh. "Okay, sleepyhead. You need me to carry you up to your room?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll manage."

"Goodnight," he said, patting her hair as he rose up.

"G'night," she replied, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

XXXXX

Hours later, she heard someone rustling at her bedroom door. "Tobin?"

She heard a muffled curse and then a gruff voice said, "Nah, it's jus me. That disappoint you?"

"Mmm… hell no," she said, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "It's late," she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got in," he said softly. "Was with Rick."

She frowned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, everythin's fine. Just wanted ta check in on ya."

"Don't haveta do that everytime," she said.

"I know. I wanted ta. Go back ta sleep."

"Mmmkay, Pookie," she said lazily, squinting at his face in the artificial light.

He smiled. "You haven't called me that in a real long time."

She smiled back, holding up the comforter and scooting over. "While you're here, you might as well stay the night."

"Alright," he said, closing the door behind him before sliding next to her in between the sheets.

He closed his eyes as he settled back against the pillows. "We been here five months and I never knew ya had so many comfy pilla's."

She smiled. "Bet ya didn't know I sleep naked now too."

His face flushed in the darkness. "Do ya?"

"Ha. You wish."

"There she is," he said, reaching across the mattress for her hand.

"Daryl," she whispered, grasping his fingers tightly.

"I'm right here," he murmured.

"Do something for me?"

"Anythin."

She paused, lightly tracing her fingers over his wrist. "Will you hold me so I don't fall apart?" She asked, a little tearfully.

He sat up slightly, reaching to pull her over to him. "C'mere, sweetheart," he murmured, tugging her body tightly against his and wrapping her in his arms.

"You're ok, you're ok," he repeated over and over, as if he were willing it to be true.

She clutched at him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"S'ok," he promised. "I got ya."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Carol was surprised when she woke up to find Daryl still next to her. She crept silently out of bed, gingerly setting her feet down and making sure the floorboards didn't creak before putting her weight on them.

She carefully made her way to the closet, pulling out her favorite cargoes and letting her pajama pants fall to the floor. A light cough and some movement out of the corner of her eye had her standing bolt upright in alarm.

"Lucky me," he murmured. "Ain't no hanky panky happenin' an' I still get ta see some ass."

She hurriedly tugged her pants up, her face flushing. "Stop."

"Hhhmph," he muttered. "Think you're tha only one that gets ta do the jokin?"

She studied him for a moment as he peered at her through the blankets that still covered most of his face.

"Maybe I'm just wondering if you're really joking or not," she said finally with a self satisfied smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," he replied, throwing the covers to the side and crawling out of bed. He kept moving past her until he was at the door. "Finish gettin' dressed. I'll meet ya outside."

She nodded, waiting until he was safely on the other side of the door before shedding any more layers. She dressed quickly, lumbered slowly down the stairs before heading out the side door to the porch.

He was sitting on the steps with his back turned to her, and her nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of smoke.

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and wordlessly handed it to her without even looking up as she she sat down beside him.

"No, thanks," she said softly. "I quit."

He turned to look at her over his shoulder, throwing the cigarette down to the concrete and stubbing it out with his boot.

"I didn't say you had to stop," she said.

"I know," he replied, resting his elbows on his knees.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, and she squinted out into the sunlight.

"Hay," he said, nudging her thigh with his knee.

She gazed at him quizzically, eyebrow raised in an unspoken question.

"I'm goin' on tha run today."

"What?" She asked, her heart dropping to her stomach and her mouth going dry.

"Ain't gonna be too long. Couple'a days at most. Rick said not ta go too far for awhile."

"But… but they're out there," she whispered, suddenly finding it hard to speak. "The saviors."

He nodded. "We need things."

She shook her head. "No….no Daryl, don't do it," she nearly choked. "Just…. just let someone else go."

He sighed, leaning back against the steps as he looked at her. "That ain't me. You know that ain't me."

"Please," she whispered. "I can't…I can't….. " she closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands to her temples.

"Hay," he said softly, placing a firm hand over her shoulder. "Those pricks are out there, but that don't change things. What're ya so afraid of?"

"That-that you'll never come back," she said tearfully, her voice breaking. "I can't lose you."

He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into his shoulder. "But I always come back ta ya, right? You jus'… you jus' sit tight and be here when I get back, alright?"

"Daryl, no… I don't… I don't want you to go," She admitted. "I just…. I have wanted to say that to you every time you've ever left." She paused, sucking in a shaky breath. "Every time."

His eyes widened at her confession and he pulled back a little to look at her. "Aw shit, Carol."

She sniffed, wiping at her face with her sleeve.

He placed a gentle hand under her chin, holding her face as his clear blue eyes bore into her teary ones. "We don't live in fear," he said softly. "That ain't us. Never was, an' it sure as hell ain't gonna be now."

He raised his other hand to her cheek, sliding slowly over her face and through the edges of her hair until his fingers came to rest at the back of her neck, stroking gently.

"Daryl," she whispered, as her own hands gripped his shoulders. She leaned forward, ignoring the slight hesitation in his expression and tilting her head to nuzzle her nose against his face. His breath felt warm and heavy on her ear as his breathing picked up, the same time that the panic in her own breathing started to slow.

He froze in place, neither moving forward nor pulling away, his hands still on her neck. She leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes as her mouth brushed his.

It was a quick kiss, so fast that she wasn't even sure she'd actually kissed him at all, until he made a small sound in the back of his throat and for a second she thought he might be choking and her eyes shot open in alarm, but then his hands were around her wrists and he was tugging her forward, clumsily pressing his lips to hers.

She moaned softly against his mouth and he whimpered, pulling her into his lap and moving one hand behind her head to support the shift in weight.

She raised her hands to his hair, parting her lips against his and he somewhat eagerly tapped his tongue to her mouth. She touched her tongue to his, letting him know it was okay and then she tasted him, soft and wet as he slid his tongue over and under hers, thirsty for more.

She felt dizzy as they kissed, getting more and more light headed the more heated their kisses grew.

"Daryl," she whispered, pressing lightly on his shoulders as he nipped at her ear and she shivered. "Daryl, stop…"

He pulled away instantly, sliding across the steps with his hands raised in surrender, eyes wide and biting his lip.

"This… this isn't me rejecting you," she said softly as she struggled to understand the expression on his face. "It's just too much."

He nodded, panting slightly. "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he repeated, fingers toying with the stubble on his chin. "Yeah. How bout you?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "I'm… I'm okay."

"You gonna be here when I get back?"

She nodded.

"Good girl," he murmured.

She studied him for a few more moments, her head feeling foggy.

Daryl's head snapped forward at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, but it took her a moment to catch up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," a gentle voice said.

She frowned, her brows wrinkled as she tried to process the fact that they were no longer alone. "Tobin," she said with genuine surprise.

"Ah shit, I am interrupting something, aren't I?"

"Naw," Daryl said, a little gruffly. "You stay. I'ma go pack my gear."

She kept her eyes on Daryl as she soberly watched him retreat. It wasn't until Tobin cleared his throat again that she remembered that he was there.

She slowly turned to look at him, the confusion melting away from her face. "I'm sorry," she said.

He shook his head. "Don't be. I… uh. I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" She asked with genuine concern.

He sat next to her in the space where Daryl had been a moment before without asking. "Remember yesterday, when you said there's a difference between being weak and inexperienced?"

She nodded.

"How did you get over the….. inexperienced part?"

She frowned again. "What are you asking?"

He swallowed hard, carefully calculating his next question. "I mean… how did you…. learn to do things? Like the kind of things you did in the woods yesterday?"

She thought for a moment, her eyes wandering past the trees. "I guess it was the people around me. I had to step up. I'm lucky they were patient."

"Like Rick and the other people you were with?" He asked.

"Yeah. Rick showed me a couple of things. Daryl mostly. I guess."

"Right," he said slowly. "That's what I figured."

She pulled her attention back to him, suddenly feeling sick as she recognized the look on his face.

"I just… I was wondering…" he started. "I don't want to be inexperienced anymore."

"Tobin…" she warned.

"I was hoping you'd show me things. Like the things Daryl and Rick showed you. You could teach me," he pressed. "So what do you say, Carol? Would you be my Daryl?"


	5. Chapter 5

Carol blinked a few times as she tried to focus on Tobin's expectant face. "I… I'm not sure I'm the right person to do what you're asking."

"Of course you are," he pressed, standing up and leaning against the banister. "It has to be you."

She shook her head, hoping that would clear it. "But you took Rick and Carl's classes with the others. Why me?"

"Because you're all I have here," he said quietly, leaning down so she would look him in the eyes.

She looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, mouth half open, still trying to process his request.

"You're the only I can really trust," he murmured. "The only one here I have any sort of faith in."

"Fine," she said softly after a moment, her lips pressing firmly together. "I'll try my best. But you have to teach me something too. And nothing construction related. Don't think you're getting free labor on that tower."

He grinned from ear to ear, and the smile lit up his kind eyes. "Well, I don't know what else I'd have to offer you…. I was pretty good at ballroom dancing back in the day."

"Dancing?" She squinted up into the sun, pretending to think about it for a moment. "Deal," she said finally, holding out her hand.

He eagerly placed his big fingers around her small ones, shaking enthusiastically.

"Come on," She said as she stood. "I want to say goodbye to Daryl before he leaves."

For a moment, he looked like he was about to protest, but she wasn't surprised when he actually followed her to the gate, the two arriving just in time see Heath close the trunk and start the engine on the clunky old car.

Tobin held back, but she could still feel his eyes on her as she stepped forward.

Daryl turned around to face her, sensing her presence, his arm twitching so slightly that she was sure she was the only one to see the motion and she kept moving until she was right in front of him.

"Hay," he murmured.

"Hey," she whispered, eyes already tearful as she stepped into his space to embrace him.

He sighed softly, wrapping his arms around her tightly and ducking his head into her shoulder. "Wait for me," he said quietly in her ear.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Promise?" He asked, and she was about to sarcastically ask him since when did they ever promise each other anything, but all she could do was nod again.

It seemed like forever could've gone by while she was holding him, right there in front of everyone and the hot sun at the gate, but all too soon he was pulling away, squeezing her hand tightly for a brief second before getting in the car and she hoped her face was composed as she watched them drive away, but she couldn't be too sure.

Tobin cleared his throat next to her and she jumped slightly, unaware that he'd even moved that close. "Come on," he said, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "I'll walk you home. We can practice tomorrow."

"No," she said, shaking her head and walking past him. "We're doing this, right now."

"Are you sure?" He asked cautiously.

She kept walking with a barely a glance behind her to see if he would keep up.

He followed her steadily, his long legs quickly catching up to her deliberate strides. "Shouldn't we stop at the armory?"

"No. Just grab the first thing you can find at your house. I have my gun in case we run into any trouble. You have three minutes. Go."

He looked uneasy at the thought of what "trouble" might mean, but he proceeded to his garage without question.

She waited for him outside, staring absently at the swing until he emerged from the garage, handing her a shovel and a pickaxe. The corner of her mouth twitched. "I suppose we've done more with less," she said, eyebrows raised.

They walked silently to the woods, leaves crunching under their feet.

"We won't go too far," she said, coming to an abrupt halt. "This is fine, here. We still have to be smart."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see what she would do next. "You know he's coming back," he said softly.

She sniffed, then recovered quickly. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because. He's Daryl," Tobin answered. "Just like you're you."

For a second, she seemed unsure of herself but then she stood firm, shoulders squared as she regarded him.

"The first thing you need to learn is new ways to be alert. You might think you're always paying attention, but you're not."

He stared at her quizzically, waiting for her to continue.

"Of course sometimes you can't help being surprised, but just remember that everything around you is trying to tell you something. The leaves under your feet, the quiet in the air, the smell of the wind."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "What is your environment telling you?"

He frowned. "That I trust you more than myself."

She opened her eyes, glaring slightly. "What if I'm not worthy of your trust? What if your own hands were the only ones that could save you?"

He met her gaze with equal intensity. "I've killed a ton of those things, but mostly it's just been luck. Does it ever not get scary?"

She let out a breath, not taking her eyes from his. "No. But whether it's one or a thousand, you'd better hope it's them. Because if it's not them, it will most certainly be someone you care about. And I'm not just talking about the walkers."

She watched the expression on his face change, wondering if she'd scared him for good this time, but the quiet thoughtfulness switched to rapid alert.

"Do you hear that?" He asked.

Her ears pricked. She did hear it. In the distance, but getting closer. "Try not to make a sound," she breathed.

He wordlessly handed her the shovel, his grip tightening nervously around the handle of the pickaxe.

She shook her head, removing her knife from its sheath. "I'll get the first one," she hissed.

The low gurgles indicated more than one and she kept her eyes on him, wondering if he'd pick up on that.

"There could be too many," he protested. "You'll need backup."

He raised the pickaxe in front of him, just as three dead ones came into sight. One of them was well behind the other two, and he gulped as the others advanced once they'd caught their scent.

Carol pushed ahead of him, ready to shove her knife, but her boot hit a tree branch in the ground and she tumbled to the floor, gasping sharply.

"Shit!" He yelled as the things caught up to her.

Without hesitation, he swung the pickaxe at one and it went down mid-snarl. He pulled the axe back, bracing himself in the dirt as the rotted skin and bone released the weapon with a loud crunch. In just a second, he plunged the pickaxe the other way at the next walker. This one he had to stab a few times, but it finally fell in a heap.

He crouched down, running his hands up and down her arms as he pulled her up. "Are you alright?" He asked, brows furrowed in a slight panic.

Her face broke out into a smile as she steadied herself.

"You did that on purpose," he realized, still gasping for air.

She didn't say anything as she turned, stepping over the bloody bodies before walking away.

The third walker had reached them, and he angrily reached for the shovel, striking it in the face hard enough to knock it down and then driving the handle forcefully through its brain before running after her.

"Answer me," he demanded, his face red from exertion and anger. "You could've been hurt. Or worse. Why would you do that?"

She looked over her shoulder, only pausing for a second before murmuring, "I guess I have faith in you, too."


	6. Chapter 6

Carol rushed to the door when she heard the low rumble of an engine in the near distance. She threw it open frantically, gasping when a solid form knocked into her, pushing her back in the house.

"Daryl!" She cried, throwing her arms around him. "You're back!"

He placed a finger over his lips, letting her know to be quiet.

"What? What is it?" She pressed. "What's happening?"

She pushed against his chest. "I-I don't know where Rick or Michonne are! Carl has Judith, b-but… Daryl, what's happening?"

"Ain't nothing yet. Rick says ta stay inside an pull the shades, just in case."

A knot formed in her chest. "We have to find them, Daryl, Michonne I-I…"

He pinned her against the wall, his expression stern. "Everyone's inside. Ain't nobody in them streets right now. We ain't goin nowhere."

"But, Daryl…"

He lowered his head, lips pressing against hers as he kept her in his strong grip and her eyelids slowly closed.

"Mmmmm," she murmured as he kissed her roughly, still pressing her against the wall.

He slowly backed up a few inches at the sound, placing a hand over his mouth. "I-I'm sorry, I…. don't… don't know…"

She shook her head and shushed him, leaning up to kiss him softly a few more times. "Don't be sorry," she whispered, leaning into his embrace. "I'm just really glad you're back. I missed you."

"Me too," he said softly. "We gonna stay put for a bit?"

She nodded. "I just haven't seen Michonne all afternoon. She never came home last night. I'm worried."

He sighed.

"But God, I'm glad you're back," she breathed, raising her hands to his face.

He reached out to draw the curtains, his finger flicking the lightswitch as he moved his hand back to her shoulder.

She drew in a couple of breaths in the sudden darkness, her eyes searching for his as they struggled to adjust.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

He nodded, leaning his head down on her shoulder. "You?"

"I'm much better now that you're home," she said softly, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

He nuzzled against her and she moved her hand under his chin, gently tilting his face toward hers and kissing him again.

He eagerly kissed back, grunting softly as he pressed her into the wall and let her put her hands all over his back and shoulders.

"Daryl," she breathed as she melted into him, spreading her legs instinctually as he leaned into her.

She moaned softly as he placed his knee between her thighs, moving her hands to touch his neck and face as they continued to heatedly kiss.

He nipped at her jaw and she tilted her head back, a slight whimper escaping as he kissed her neck.

He was moving his thigh back and forth between her legs as he continued his delicious assault on her neck and she knew her panties were growing moist.

"Daryl," she moaned.

"What are we doin?" he whispered gruffly into her ear, his scruff tickling under her chin.

"I don't know," she whispered back. "But I don't want to stop."

"Me neither," he said in a low voice, pressing his erection into her hip.

Her eyes widened and she grabbed for him again, opening her mouth against his and swallowing his desperate panting breaths as he slipped his tongue past her lips.

He continued to move against her and she found herself reaching into his pants to feel how hard he was. He groaned loudly at the feel of her delicate hand wrapped around his cock, his hands groping her body in search of bare skin.

"Daryl, wait," she breathed as he pushed her shirt up.

He froze, gazing at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Not here," she whispered in clarification.

He jerked his head towards her bedroom and she nodded slowly, keeping her eyes trained on his.

She gasped as he swiftly hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her steadily up the stairs in the darkness.

Once they were in her room, she nudged the door closed with her foot, waiting to see what Daryl would do next.

He moved in the general direction towards her bed with her still in his arms, clearly uncertain on how to proceed.

She ducked her head down, kissing his neck in encouragement.

He groaned softly, slowly lowering her to the bed and she held out her arms for him. He leaned down into her embrace, only slightly hesitating and she leaned back, letting him get used to the feel of their bodies pressed together.

"Carol," he murmured, as she pushed her fingers through his hair.

She closed her eyes, running her hands up and down his arms and he kissed her roughly, moving against her to deliberately let her know that he was still hard.

"Want you," he groaned as she continued to tug at his hair.

"Then take me," she whispered, her clear blue eyes boring into his.

He growled softly, tugging at her sweater and she moved to help him pull it off before her hands went to his vest. She ran her fingers over the leather at his chest before slipping it off his shoulders.

They undressed each other slowly and time seemed to stop while they kept their eyes trained on each other, and then they were kissing each other sloppily again.

She moved her hands over his bare skin as they kissed and he did the same, tracing her collar bones and squeezing her breasts.

She reached between them to stroke him slowly and he groaned, moving a hand between her thighs and slipping a couple of fingers into her sex.

She moaned loudly and he cursed at how juicy and ready she was.

"Fuck, I don't have a condom," he admitted, involuntarily bucking his hips into her hand as she stroked him.

"You don't need one," she said softly and he didn't ask anymore questions, only studied her face to make sure she was okay as he moved into position.

She moaned deeply as he pushed into her, closing her eyes as she took him in and encouraging him to move.

He whimpered, thrusting into her and closing his own eyes as he ducked his head down against her shoulder.

She put her hands on his hips, helping him find a steady rhythm and moaning softly as he picked up the pace.

He wasn't overly gentle, but she wouldn't have expected to him to be and even so it wasn't long before she was crying out, gripping his shoulders tightly and pressing her face into his neck to muffle her sounds as she came. A second later and he was clumsily spilling into her, biting hard on her neck.

They were both breathing heavily and he waited a few moments before pulling out. "Okay?" he murmured with his hand on her hair.

She nodded, reaching for her sweater.

"Hay, ya don't hafeta do that," he said softly. "Do ya?"

She studied him carefully. "I guess not," she quietly replied, pushing his sweaty bangs out of his eyes.

He reached for her and she eagerly snuggled into him, letting him pull her close and resting her head on his chest, her fingers lightly tracing his tattoo an inch from her lips until his breathing evened out.


End file.
